Introduction

3M™ Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N is a translucent, highly conformable, single-sided, pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive tape with an extremely durable ionomer backing. Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N consists of a 2000µm thick acrylic adhesive layer topped by a 100µm thick ionomer backing and a 50µm thick release liner. A diagram depicting Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N is shown in Figure 1.Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N is used in a wide array of applications where weather exposure is a concern. Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N exhibits high durability and flexibility, providing a consistent seal while conforming to a variety of surfaces, even when fasteners, seams, joints, holes and gaps are present. The durable ionomer backing provides long-lasting protection for the adhesive and is paintable. Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N is only suitable for laser cutting which produces consistent laser processed edges and minimal heat affected zones. Other laser processes are not suggested as they are not conducive to the intended use of this material. The non-contact nature of laser processing allows applications to be processed with small features and fine geometry which might be difficult to achieve with traditional mechanical methods. Universal Laser Systems makes it simple to consistently and repeatedly process this material to a high degree of dimensional accuracy because the non-contact nature of laser processing eliminates material deformation during processing.

Laser Processing Notes

Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N was tested to assess laser processing compatibility and to determine the best configuration of peak laser power and wavelength. No substantial difference was found between 9.3µm and 10.6µm laser energy when laser cutting Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N. A microscopy image taken at 300x magnification of the edge after laser cutting the Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N with a 75 watt 9.3µm laser is shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 depicts a 3D image of the laser processed edge.Processing Example

Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N applications requiring fine geometry and intricate detail without degrading the physical properties of the material can be accomplished with Universal Laser Systems technology. An example demonstrating the results of laser cutting Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N using the recommended system configuration is shown in Figure 4.Conclusion

Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N is suitable for laser processing and was extensively tested to determine the optimal processing configuration. Through this testing it was determined that laser cutting is viable with this material, using a 75 watt 9.3µm or 10.6µm CO2 laser source. Extreme Sealing Tape 4412N efficiently absorbs the 9.3µm or 10.6µm wavelengths of laser energy to produce an edge that has minimal heat affected zone and discoloration.